People who bought this also bought...

Crewel World

When Betsy Devonshire arrived in Excelsior, Minnesota, all she wanted was to visit her sister Margot and get her life in order. She never dreamed her sister would give her a place to stay and a job at her needlecraft shop. In fact, things had never looked so good - until Margot was murdered. In a town this friendly, it's hard to imagine who could have committed such a horrible act, but Betsy has a few ideas. There's an ex-employee who wants to start her own needlework store. And there's the landlord who wanted Margot out. Now Betsy's putting together a list of motives and suspects....

Guidebook to Murder: Tourist Trap, Book 1

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store - Coffee, Books, and More - open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder? When Jill's elderly friend Miss Emily calls in a fit of pique, she already knows that the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill, along with all of her problems...and her enemies.

If Walls Could Talk: Haunted Home Renovation, Book 1

Melanie Turner has made quite a name for herself remodeling historic houses in the San Francisco Bay Area. But now her reputation may be on the line. At her newest project, a run-down Pacific Heights mansion, Mel is visited by the ghost of a colleague who recently met a bad end with power tools. Mel hopes that by nailing the killer, she can rid herself of the ghostly presence of the murdered man - and not end up a construction casualty herself....

Murder Is Binding: A Booktown Mystery

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia.

Little Shop of Homicide: A Devereaux’s Dime Store Mystery, Book 1

Dev Sinclair is the happy new owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But if she doesn't focus on finding the killer of her ex's fiance, this five-and-dime owner may find herself serving 25 to life.

On What Grounds

Clare Cosi used to manage the historic Village Blend coffeehouse…until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban life. But after ten years and a little friendly cajoling from the owner (a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain was all it took), she's back to the grind. With a sprawling rent-free apartment directly above the Village Blend, her cat Java by her side, and plenty of coffeehouse redecorating ideas, Clare is thrilled to return to work. Until she discovers the assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.

Assault and Pepper: Spice Shop Mystery Series, Book 1

After leaving a dicey marriage and losing a beloved job in a corporate crash, Pepper Reece has found a new zest for life running a busy spice and tea shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are the talk of the town, and everyone stops by for a cup of her refreshing spice tea, even other shopkeepers and market regulars. But when a panhandler named Doc shows up dead on the store's doorstep, a Seattle Spice Shop cup in his hand, the local gossip gets too hot for Pepper to handle.

Last Wool and Testament: A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery, Book 1

Thank Goodness It's Fiber: That's the name of the spunky group of fiber and needlework artists founded by Ivy McClellan, Kath's beloved grandmother. Though Ivy has recently passed on, the members still meet regularly at her fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver's Cat, which Kath has now inherited. But that's only the first in a series of surprises when Kath returns to the small town of Blue Plum, Tennessee, to settle her grandmother's affairs

Books Can Be Deceiving

Lindsey is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey's friend, Beth, wants to sell the editor her children's book. But Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. When they go to confront him, he's found murdered - and Beth is the prime suspect. Lindsey has to act fast before they throw the book at the wrong person.

A Crafty Killing: Victoria Square Mystery, Book 1

The last thing Katie Bonner wanted was to become the manager of Artisans Alley. But when her business partner Ezra Hilton is found bludgeoned to death, she has no other choice. Business under Ezra had been faltering - but was it enough to provoke someone to murder? Only Katie can find the answer.

Lowcountry Boil: A Liz Talbot Mystery

Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. But when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated.

The Book Club Murders

In a charming cozy mystery series debut, Leslie Nagel's irrepressible small-town heroine finds that her fellow book club members may be taking their Agatha Christie a bit too literally - and murder a bit too lightly.

Publisher's Summary

At Crewel World - the needlework shop in Excelsior, Minnesota, run by Betsy Devonshire - an array of beautifully hand-dyed yarns are supplied by Hailey Brent, an avid hand-dyer as well as a customer. But shortly after her most recent delivery of yarn, Hailey is found dead in her home, with a gunshot wound to the head.

Betsy can't imagine who might have killed Hailey, but she is determined to find out. Her investigation takes her into the world of dye stuffs and mordants and the plants that are grown to produce colors for all kinds of textiles. Fascinating stuff, indeed - except when it leads to murder.

Great story - Monica Ferris has done it again! The performance left a lot to be desired in my estimation. Susan Boyce put emphasis on the wrong words - used inappropriate inflections, and was, in my opinion, hard to listen to.

The mystery itself was okay, but Susan Boyce presented almost all the characters as prissy and stilted. It was as if she was reading to a kindergarten class. <br/><br/><br/><br/>I added "And Then You Dye" to my library when Audible offered it on a reduced price--and I had a $10 coupon. Why not try a mystery series I hadn't known about? If I liked it, I could start at the beginning. I knew going in that starting with # 16 in the Needlecraft Mystery series would mean I'd be getting a lot of shorthand on development of long standing characters, but I was willing to give Monica Ferris the benefit of the doubt

What was most disappointing about Monica Ferris’s story?

.

How could the performance have been better?

The story was reasonably well plotted and included a couple of digressions to flesh out secondary relationships such as those of Godwin and Rafael and Jill and Lars Larson--the sort of thing that readers of mystery series want--and miss if they're left out (like the family dinners in Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series).So. Points for keeping up with the major and minor characters.

What character would you cut from And Then You Dye?

And points also for incorporating a *lot* of information about handicraft dying into the plot without overloading her readers with too much detail. She uses a standard device--bring in an expert to explain the essential points about natural dyes but punctuate her delivery with additional conversation. Further, after setting us up to expect a murder based on poisonous dyes and mordants (see I paid attention), she switches to a plain old death by gunshot. But the dye-ing demonstrations are not irrelevant, as the conclusion makes clear.

Any additional comments?

However, if Susan Boyce represents the way Ferris wants her characters to sound, then I won't be going back to the beginning of the series. ]Boyce. articulates. every. single. word. and. every. sentence. on. a. falling. tone. no. matter. how. complex. it. may. be. And, although Boyce does modulate her voice in an attempt to distinguish the characters, the result is that she sounds like a sheltered first grade teacher reading to a Sunday school class. I will not be listening to any other books she narrates.Just a note: The only way I could get paragraph breaks was to type my comments into the separate boxes. As you can see, the headers don't fit the comments.

This is the third book in the whole series I've listend to. The others I've read as paperbacks. This show's how much I love this series.<br/>I don't like the narrating of Susan Boyce. She speaks kind of 'choppy' and there is no 'live' in any of the characters. Sorry to say so, but I guess the followings I will read as paperbacks again.

This is the best book in the series. Betsy is clever and tenacious. The mystery is full of twists and turns that moves the plot at a nice pace. All of Betsy's friends are included and they add to the enjoyment of the story.

I bought this book because I like "Who done its" and because I'm from Minneapolis, but I wouldn't recommend it to Mpls people, for the reader doesn't know how to pronounce the names of the suburbs. Also, beyond that, I am a knitter and thought is sounded fun. It turned out to be agony just listening to the whole thing. Her characters were incorrectly portrayed; ie.: One may have a head injury but they don't go through such a dramatic personality change. (I'm a physician). Character development was ....Where?? These people were no more intelligent enough, especially the oh so sweet protagonist, to solve a crime and it's very doubtful the police would have appreciated the woman taking over the case. Utter nonsense! I finally just skipped the second half, to the very predictable ending. Don't waste your time. Agatha Christie the author is NOT.

What was most disappointing about Monica Ferris’s story?

The plot

How could the performance have been better?

A different author

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I am someone who enjoys audible books very much now that they exist. As a young student (real young) I can remember a teacher telling me how books can transport people to different places & open up a whole new world. This is how listening to audible books make me feel. Now if I can just stop falling asleep while listening to them at night I would be fine. Ha ha

What did you like best about And Then You Dye? What did you like least?

Best - was it reminded me of the "Cat Who" books by Lillian Braun. There was quite a bit if interesting information shared about the art of dying fabrics & yarns & also about plants. Actually I learned a lot. The story took place in a small town where people knew each other for the most part. The lives of the characters were interestingly protrayed & realistic. The twist for me came with an older female retailer becoming the amateur sleuth helping the police with the murder. The plot was kept moving & intersting but would never interest a person looking for a lot of hupla, guns, crime & violence. It was a single quite simple story but still not all that easy to solve in the beginning. The subjects of adultry, romance & gays were lightly & prudently written about. There wasnt really anything i didn't like I accepted the book for what it had & I enjoyed it.

If you’ve listened to books by Monica Ferris before, how does this one compare?

Traditional well flowing mystery by Monica Ferris. Entertaining and a great listen<br/>

What was one of the most memorable moments of And Then You Dye?

Hello, if you are going to have private secret conversations, you might want to look around and see what and who is around you. Don't just go to the back of the nursery and think because you are at the back of a business there is nothing on the other side of the fence. Duh.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It only took two sittings, as I had a slow time at work and could listen while I did computer work.

At one point in the story someone mentions that it doesn't usually take months for the shop owner to solve the mystery. "Months?" I thought. "How can this have taken more than a day or two?". The culprit really is obvious from about 1/3 of the way through despite the very obvious red herrings plonked down all over the place. The amercian narrator is r.e.a.d.i.n.g .v.e.r.y. c.a.r.e.f.u.l.l.y to make sure everything can be heard but as a result sounds like she's recording an audio book for children. I chose this because I found the previous books entertaining and needed something to listen to as I was packing to leave the house but I wouldn't get another with this narrator.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.